Toothbrush holder



Jan. 26, 1943. G. a. HYLEN TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Aug. 3 0

3 Sheet. eit l Jan. 26, 1943. G. B. HYLEN TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Aug. 3. 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I WE: w

. l/rlllfllll ll v INVENTOR. Gum/144,? 5. 1 E/V,

Jan. 25, 1943.

G. B. HYLE N TO OTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Aug. 3, 1940 3 Shets-Sheet 5 60/7/1441? 5. f/xzz/v,

INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The present invention relates to devices for holding tooth brushes and the like.

My improved device differs from the ordinary type in that I enclose the brush in a housing which is fitted with doors adapted to be automatically actuated during the operation of inserting and removing the brush from the holder, and I employ an improved means for pivotally mounting said doors and for swinging them about a fixed axis by an improved arrangement of swingable, cooperating catches.

It is among some of the more important objects of the invention to combine these improved features into a novel article of manufacture which is more sanitary, in that ample circulation of air is provided for drying the bristles of the brushes; one suitable to be manufactured out of a wide range of materials, particularly those of the plastic class including Beetle, Plaskon, Tenite and the like, which would enhance the holders value by making it lighter, moistureproof, and untarnishable, and through a wide range of color selections thereby adding to its attractiveness.

It is among further objects to simplify the construction, whereby greater ease and efliciency in operation is assured, and to contribute to the art to which the invention pertains an improvement more suitable to meet the tastes of discriminating individuals.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of that which is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my improved holder, certain exterior portions being broken away to disclose underlying structure.

Fig, 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 7 showing the doors closed.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 2 showing the doors open.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 2-4 of Fig. '7 with the doors shut.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4 but with the doors open.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 7.

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of the device, a portion at the right being broken away to show underlying structure.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the spring element.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the catch elements per se.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of Fig. 10 partly in section.

Fig. 12 is a bottom plan View of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the doors.

Now referring in detail to the drawings, it will be observed the invention consists of a housing having a back plate l5 for fastening to a wall, to which plate is united the housing unit It, consisting of the front arcuated wall ll, parallel side walls I8, the somewhat dome shaped top 19 and open bottom 20.

In the arcuated front extending from the lowermost edge to a point adjacent said dome vertically extends an opening 2!. In Figs. 10, 11 and 12 this particular detail is shown apart from the remaining pieces of the device.

The lower portion of the housing unit It stops short of the bottom edge of the back plate l5 thus providing a space for the base. To the lowermost structure of said unit is applied the base 22, within the space thus provided for it, by means of pins 23 (see Fig. 7) or other suitable means extending through hole 24 in said unit into mating holes 25 in said base, whereby the underside of said base 22 and back plate I5 are'made fiush. In said base, extending centrally from the front to a point adjacent said back wall, is an opening 26 of sufiicient width to accommodate the handle of any ordinary tooth brush 27.

The outer edge portion of the base is constructed in a receding, upwardly stepped fashion, see Fig.1, perpendicular surface 28 being adapted to contact said arcuated and side walls of the unit It with a working fit. The horizontal and vertical intersecting surfaces 29 and 30 together with the inside wall of the arcuated front form a trackway in which the lower edge portion of the doors 3| and 32 similarly configured move with a working fit.

A portion of the vertical ledge 39 is extended outwardly to a flush relation to the vertical ledge 28, at a point adjacent to the meeting point of the arcuated walls I! and side walls l8 to form a stop 33, the mating holes 25 being located in said stop. Said stops at all times occupy a position in the slots 34 located in the lower'edges Fig. 10 is a section taken on line l0lll of Fig.

of each of the doors 3| and 32 to aid in limiting the forward and backward travel of said doors.

Further provision is made to insure the requisite limitation to the forward movement of the doors 3| and 32. This is done by providing a small protuberance 35 which projects downwardly a short distance below the ridge 36 inside the dome I9 and has a cooperative engagement with the notches 3'! and 38 cut into the upper front corners of each door. The ridge 35 performs the function of maintaining the doors in a vertical position and precludes any possibility of their being twist-out of position.

The doors 3| and 32 are arcuately shaped to conform to the trackway in which their lower edge portions travel as aforesaid, as well as to conform to the curvature of the interior of the housing I5. The upper edge of each door is provided with inwardly directed flanges 39 and 3G, a portion of the door 3| and a portion 52 of the door 32 being recessed and adapted to overlap the other in a flush fashion, and in said overlapping portions are formed mating holes 13. A screw 44 extends through said holes 43 and into a cylindrically shaped post 46 extending downwardly from the ceiling of the dome l9, whereby the doors are moveably fastened within the housing unit.

Looped around the shank of the screw 55, be tween the overlapping part 42 and the bottom face of the post, is a coiled spring 4? having outwardly extending arms 48 each provided with downwardly directed inbent fingers 49 which engage in a notch 55 of the said door. Spring 41 is shown per se in Fig. 8, and the manner in which the spring is coiled about the screws shank is shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Said spring normally is under slight constraint, but in Fig. 4 the doors are shown closed, placing the spring under greater constraint.

As a means for operating the doors, in addition to the assistance afforded by the spring 41 which makes the operation semiautomatic, I provide a pair of catches 5| and 52. These catches are each provided with peripheral, circumferentially spaced apart prongs, comprising a C-shaped prong 53 and with a straight prong 54, tubular rivets 55 being provided in the base 22 to afford axes about which the catches turn with a changing center because of the holes 55 being elongated.

The catches serve to push the doors together to a locked position when the brush 21 is manually applied against the catch prongs 53 in the direc tion of the arrow as shown in Fig. 3, and to unlock the doors for opening under the urge of the spring 41, by shifting said catches aside when the brush is manually applied against the prongs 54 in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 2.

Said catches 5| and 52 are mounted in a recessed portion of the base 22, the rear portions 57 of said recess adjacent the wall I5 being rounded in exact conformity with the curved back sides 58 of the catches. When the doors are in the open position, portions 59 and 5B of the catches overlap. Catches 5| and 52 are also provided with straight faced portions 5| which contact the lower inner edges of the doors to move them together to closed position when the brush is applied to the prongs 53 as shown in Fig. 3. In the latter view said straight faces are shown contacting the door edges in readiness to effect the closing of the doors.

The reasons for curving the edges of the catches to conform to the curved portions of the base and providing them with elongated slots whereby their rotation centers change as they are caused to move in both directions of their swing will be more fully understood when the following description of the operation is read.

As the brush 2'7 is inserted into the vertical opening 2| of the housing unit I5, its neck, or that portion of the handle immediately below the bristles, enters the opening 25 in the base 22. By inward pressure of said portion of the brush against the C-shaped prongs 53 said prongs are shifted from the positions shown in Fig. 3 to the positions shown in Fig. 2, thus clasping the brush handle and simultaneously closing the doors. In effecting this automatic operation the catches, upon insertion of the brush, bear against the lower rear edges of the doors moving them forward to the closed position shown in Fig. 2 and bringing the straight prongs 54 on the opposite ends of the catches together across the opening 26 in the base encircling and holding in place the handle.

To prevent the catches from slipping out of place in resisting the counter pressure of the spring 41 when the doors are shut, the cam curves 5'! of the recessed part of the base that terminate at the projections 62, are rounded in exact conformity with the backs 58 of the catches from which the prongs 53 project, for the purpose of acting as stops. As the backs 58 of the prongs 53 are pushed ahead upon inserting the brush the elongated holes 56 allow the catches sufiicient freedom of movement to clear the projections 52 at the inner extremity of the curves 51 of the recessed part aforesaid and slip into contact with the stops (i. e., between 5'! and 52 on either side) designed to receive them.

The arrangement and relative positions existing between the pivot 55, slot 56 of each catch 5|, and the relation of the cam 57 to the part 58 of the catch which glides over said cam face is such that, in the swinging of the catch by a tooth brush handle when the latter is moved inwardly (see Fig. 3) the catch is shifted bodily as well as turned, and such shifting of the catch brings it into a contacting frictional relation (shown in Fig. 2) wherein the stationary cam face 51 frictionally holds the catch against displacement as a brake.

In Fig. 2, in order to indicate the directions taken by the forces which operate the doors, the center about which the door 3| swings is indicated at Ma: from which center a tangent 3|t is drawn to the point where the base portion of the door, under the urge of the spring, presses against the catch or door operating plate 5|. At the last mentioned point an arrow 35m indicates the direction in which the force of the spring actuated door is directed against said plate 5|. Said arrow 3|:c points nearly toward the part of the cam shoulder 51 which is adjacent to the projection 62, hence at this time, owing to the play permitted by the slot 55, the plate 5| is pressed against said cam shoulder part and is thus bound against turning, and the twin plate 52 is likewise bound. Hence at this time the spring will not open the closed doors: furthermore, when the brush is moved forwardly against the inner side of the prongs 5d of the plates 5| and 52, it will not only exert a turning movement upon said plates, but will tend to move them out of a binding contact with the cam portions which upstand from the base plate, thus facilitating the opening movement of the doors.

This eilicient operation of the doors results from the provision of slots instead of mere pivot holes for the pivots of the catches.

In order to hold the catches in place against the doors under pressure of the spring when closed, and yet offer a minimum of resistance when the catches are released, the curves '!v of the stops are rounded just enough to hold the catches securely while the doors are closed, without in any way hindering their backward or forward movement in the least degree more than necessary to obtain the locking function stated.

Conversely, when the brush is removed from the holder, its pressure from the inside against the straight pronged ends 5 of the catches, of course, displaces the catches allowing the spring to snap the doors back so their rear edges press the catches into the position proper to again close the doors when the brush is returned.

What is claimed is:

1. A tooth brush holder comprising a housing including a back plate, a pair of stationary vertical side plates projecting forwardly from said back plate and forming a vertical slot between their front edges, said housing having a base occupying the space between said side plates and having a front to rear slot opening out at its front edge in alinement with said slot between said side plates; two cooperating door operating plates pivoted to the upper side of said base, one at each side of its slot. to swing about vertical axes and having peripheral projections constructed and arranged to underlie and support the head of a brush said peripheral projections being engageable by the brush handle to provide for the operation of the plates of which they form a part as the brush is inserted and removed, a pair of vertical, segmentally shaped doors mounted in an inwardly adjacent relation to the aforesaid stationary side plates and swingably supported upon the housing to move in unison to and from positions wherein they close the slot between said side plates, said door operating plates having shoulder portions which engage lower portions of said doors to swing them in one direction, and a spring to oppose the closing movement of said doors.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and, said base having upstanding cam portion-s, each of said door operating plates having through it a slot to receive its pivot and being so constructed and positioned in relation to said cam portions as to cause said door operating plates to bind upon said cam portions as the doors to reach their closed positions and thus prevent the force of the spring from moving the doors away from their closed positions.

3. In a device of the kind described, a housing having a door opening in its front portion and including a base having a cutaway portion vertically below said door opening to admit the handle of a toothbrush, a pair of cooperating doors supported by said housing in a superjacent relation to said base and swingable in a horizontal plane to open and close'said door opening, a pair of door operating plates, one for each of said doors each supported upon said base in a fiatwise manner and having a pivot and slot connection with said base, said base having upstanding cam portions upstanding therefrom adjacent to said door operating plates, said plates having peripheral projections to support a brush head and engageable with its handle when the latter is forced laterally into and out of the aforesaid cutaway portion of said base to turn said plates and thereby close said doors, the pivot and slot connection of said plates with said base allowing them to move bodily as Well as pivotally and thus become bound against parts of said cam portions upon the plates being moved to the position wherein the doors are closed, and a spring mounted upon said housing tending to open said doors, said door operating plates having shoulders which engage the lower portions of said doors to impart to them a closing movement as the brush is inserted and to open them as the brush is withdrawn, said shoulders of said plates also engaging said doors to prevent said spring from prematurely opening them when said plates are in the aforesaid bound condition.

4. The subject matter of claim 3 and, said housing carrying a pivot member engaging the upper portions of said doors whereby the latter are swingably held in place, and the aforesaid spring consisting of a wire having its central portion connected with said pivot and having end portions connected with said doors.

5. In a device of the kind described, a housing including a back plate, a pair of stationary vertical side plates projecting forwardly from said back plate and forming a vertical slot between their front edges, said housing having a base occupying the space between said side plates, said base having a front to rear slot opening at its front edge in alinement with the slot between said Side plates; two cooperating door operating plates pivoted to the upper side of said base, one at each side of said slot, to swing about vertical axes and having adjacent peripheral portions to receive and support the brush, said peripheral portions of said door operating plates being engageable by the brush which as it is inserted and removed imparts turning movements to said door operating plates, a pair of vertical segmental doors mounted in an inwardly adjacent relation to the aforesaid stationary side plates and swingably supported upon the housing, said door operating plates having shoulder portions which engage lower portions of said doors to swing them toward the closed position as the brush is moved into its housed position, the aforesaid base having cam portions upstanding from it, and a spring to oppose the closing movement of said doors, said door operating plates having also peripheral shoulder portions engageable by the brush during its withdrawal to swing them in the opposite direction and thereby release said doors for being opened by said spring, saididoor operating plates being connected with said base by a pivot and slot arrangement which permits them to move bodily as well as to turn, one of their bodily movements occurring as they bring the doors to closed positions, such bodily movement causing said door operating plates to bind against parts of the aforesaid cam portions which upstand from the base, such binding of said door operating plates preventing the unaided force of said spring from opening said doors.

6. In a device of the kind described, a back plate, a housing having an arcuated front, said housing being fastened to said back plate and being in front thereof, said housing having an open bottom and a closed top, a post extending downwardly from said top in a concentric relation to the arcuate front of said housing, a base for closing the bottom of said housing, said base being provided with a slot leading into its front edge, the slots in said base and housing alining thereby combining to form an L-shaped opening, a pair of arcuately shaped doors for closing the vertical slot in said housing, said doors having inwardly directed flanges at the tops thereof disposed at different levels so as to overlap, pin means extending through apertures in said overlapping flanges and directed upwardly into said post to pivotally fasten said doors thereto, a spring coiled around said pin between the topmost of said flanges and the lower end of said post, said spring having radially extending arms provided with downwardly directed fingers engageable within vertical notches in said inwardly directed flanges, the closing of said doors inswinging the arms of said spring against its resiliency, and door operating means pivotally mounted upon said base engageable with said doors to turn them in a horizontal plane, said door operating means being operable by a turning movement imparted thereto by laterally moving a brush handle into said slot of the base, said door operating means having projections to engage and support the inserted brush.

7. In a device of the kind described, a combined door and spring structure consisting of an upstanding housing having a front door openmg, said housing having a top portion located rearwardly of said door opening, a pair of doors swingable in a horizontal plane to close and open said door opening, a single pivot member carried by said top portion of said housing and constituting a common hinge pin for said doors, and a wire spring having a central portion coiled around said pivot member and arms with laterally directed ends engaging with the upper portions of said doors in a radially spaced relation to said hinge pin,

GUNNAR. B. HYLEN. 

